Heard a variation of that concerning Klippfisk. Dried cod from Norway were at one time a big export to Africa, but the recipients often complained that the Norwegians had kept the best bits – the heads – for themselves.

With Heb Isles in for repairs, CalMac charters replacement vessel to reduce underprovision for IslayCalMac ‘s whole USP, when fending off intrusion by other operators, has always been that only one large monopoly operator – itself of course – has the fleet resources to provide back-up and relief vessels. One might ask why this doesn’t seem to happen, given the very large sums spent on the company in recent years. I don’t think that the management at Gourock are any less competent than others in the industry, so the nature of the beast and its political drivers are where I would look for answers.